DE 38 41 475 discloses a method of operating an internal combustion engine in which the fuel quantity introduced during starting is metered in dependence upon whether it is a cold start or a warm start. For this purpose, the minimum operating time of the internal combustion engine is determined.
It is known to, during operation,control the control parameters of the internal combustion engine, for example, the amount of supplied fuel, in order to achieve an optimal setting of the engine, for example, the air/fuel ratio. Internal combustion engines, for example, in portable handheld work apparatus such as chain saws, cutoff machines, brushcutters, lawn mowers and the like are often operated under the same operating conditions. Therefore, it is advantageous when the current value for the control parameter, which was set by the control arrangement, is retrieved at the next start. In this way, the time before achieving optimal settings of the internal combustion engine can be substantially reduced. When the external operating conditions change, the stored values for the control parameters are no longer optimal, for example, when the operator cleans the air filter and the amount of air supplied is suddenly and markedly increased. With a marked change in operating conditions of the engine, it can take comparatively long before the control arrangement has once again set an optimal value for the control parameter.